


Between light and memory

by septnanis



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Dream diving, Future Fic, Headaches & Migraines, Hearts, Kissing, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Rageform, Realm of Darkness (Kingdom Hearts), Romance, mentions of vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 12:51:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18550132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/septnanis/pseuds/septnanis
Summary: On the last leg of their honeymoon, Riku needs to dive into Sora's heart to help him. He finds something - or someone - he never expected to.Follow-up to Singularity.





	Between light and memory

Palm trees, breezy sunshine weather and the place where they grew up. Even after more than ten years Sora’s heart still looked and felt the same. Or at least it should have. The Play Island was dark, but not in the way it was at night. It was dark because the clouds had pulled in, almost pitch black, the way they did when a big storm was brewing. The last time Riku saw the island like that was when he’d pulled open that door and let the Heartless swallow everything that ever meant anything to him.

 

The waves almost crashed onto the beach.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku saw something move.

 

The door to the shack opened and he cocked his head at the sight of his own face.

 

“Come on!” The other Riku cried out, waving him towards him. “Storm’s gonna hit at any minute, get inside!”

 

Not seeing the logic in staying outside, even if it meant he was apparently going to have a conversation with himself, Riku jogged up to the shack, shivering as the wind turned cold.

 

The one thing that kept them apart was that the other Riku’s face seemed to change, growing younger and then older in the blink of an eye. As if he was trying to decide how he wanted to appear to Riku. Finally, it came to a halt and he was looking himself at maybe twenty or twenty-one in the face.

 

“We made vows in front of the gods, remember?” Even his voice sounded a little lighter. “Got myself a permanent presence in Sora’s heart. Little lonely sometimes, but there’s no other place I’d rather be.”

 

“What’s going on?” Riku asked, jumping just a bit when thunder cracked outside.

 

“You tell me!” His other self rebutted. “Sun was shining a few hours ago, suddenly the sky goes dark and there’s the weird energy in the air like… fear and pain.”

 

Sora had broken down, on the last day of their honeymoon, clutching his head and screaming in pain. Luckily, they’d been in Radiant Garden but Riku had never felt so helpless. He’d seen it building all day but there were only so many arguments they could have about the issue before Riku knew when to back off and leave well enough alone. Riku picked him up and ran to Ansem the Wise’s laboratory.

 

Sora had a high pain threshold, Riku knew that, so seeing him that way — skin burning red, his eyes screwed shut, slapping his hand against his head and wailing how much it hurt — he never wanted to have to see that again.

 

He summoned his Keyblade and before anyone had a moment to even formulate an opinion, he dove straight into Sora’s heart.

 

He’d be getting an earful from several people, that was for sure.

 

“Sora’s been having migraines ever since he came back, after his misuse of the power of wakening.” Riku explained to his counterpart. “Several of us think it may have damaged his heart in some way, and that causes the migraines.”

 

The part of his heart that had taken shape as his twenty year old self nodded. “Right. I think I may know… well, I don’t know but it’s worth looking into.”

 

“What is?”

 

“I tried going into the Secret Place, but there was some kind of barrier up. It wouldn’t let me pass. I’m just a part of our heart, not the whole thing, so I don’t think I’ve got enough power to break through the barrier.”

Riku looked out the little window of the shack at the small hole in the stone wall. He hadn’t been there in years, he’d probably have to bend over to fit through. He’d hated that place for so long, but he’d put himself past it. Now it filled him with dread. Had something bad invaded Sora’s heart?

 

Heavy torrential rain began falling as if from nowhere, the roof of the shack nearly shaking. When the other Riku spoke again he had to shout to make himself heard. “Whatever it is, it’s not getting any better! It’s never been this bad before! You have to help him!” He looked as frantic and worried as Riku had been when Sora had collapsed in Radiant Garden.

 

“Stay in here!” Riku returned, his own voice at top volume. “We don’t know how much worse this is going to get!”

 

When the other Riku raised a hand in agreement, Riku took a deep breath and pulled the door of the shack open, breaking into a run to the Secret Place. By the time he got there, even in that short distance, his clothes and hair were drenched and he was breathing heavily.

 

He bowed his head so he could fit and made his way inside the Secret Place.

 

Inside it looked as it always had, scribbles and drawings on the stone walls. The things they’d dreamed about as children, the drawing with the Paopu fruit Sora and Kairi had made, but also, scribbles of what seemed to be memories. Seven white figures across from thirteen black ones. A crude drawing of Nightmare’s end and Mirage Split. A chalky colorful drawing of a tiny Riku holding up his sword to the meteor shower that had brought the third member of their friendship, the moment Riku had decided he wanted to protect Sora for the rest of his life.

 

What threw him off was it seemed as if someone had been inside and had rubbed a red substance over some of the drawings. As if they were trying to use it to block the images out but failed. Riku walked up to the door, still exactly the same as it had been in his memories and almost felt fear fill him.

 

Until he saw the small drawing next to the door, that had remained untouched from the red markings, as if it had been put there only recently. A crudely drawn R + S, circled with a heart. It was silly and sappy and still when Riku pressed his hand to it he felt brave again.

 

More thunder boomed outside and the cave shook ominously. Riku searched the door for a few to open it. There was no handle and not enough space between the door and the stone to fit his fingers.

 

He summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the door.

 

It opened and the darkness within greeted him almost like an old friend.

 

—-

 

For what felt like hours, Riku walked. He had no idea Sora’s heart had a facsimile of the Realm of Darkness in it, but he reminded himself quickly that Sora was no Princess of Heart. He had darkness in him, he was just full of so much light, it was easy to forget that.

 

Unlike the actual Realm of Darkness, there were no Heartless. No enemies to be on the lookout for. And it was deathly quiet. The only sound he heard was a low sharp wind that reeked of emptiness and the crunch of his boots in the ashy sand.

 

As he walked a feeling of dread began to fill him, a longing to turn back. He ignored it. Even if going to the deepest part of Sora’s heart ended up being a wild goose chase, he needed to know. He needed to know he’d done absolutely everything to keep Sora from being in pain.

 

After endless wandering, Riku felt his surroundings become familiar. The place he’d been many times before, at the edge of the water in darkness. He’d sat there with Sora at the end of the world and had been willing to stay there with him forever, he’d gone there to rescue Aqua, he still saw it in his dreams. The loneliness, the emptiness and the hopelessness he’d felt.

 

Only here, there was no water.

 

It was obvious there had been water at some point but it looked like an ocean run dry, black sand and razor sharp rocks as far as the eye could see. And just a little ways out, in the center of his sight, sat a lone figure.

 

A figure he knew well, and that still haunted his dreams.

 

“Sora?” He called out cautiously.

 

The figure shook from its desolate spot. It was Sora, or rather the outline of him, but his body was shrouded in black miasma, tendrils of it curling outwards. His eyes burned like coals, and he opened his mouth, the same burning red light shone.

 

“Who…?” It was Sora’s voice, but it sounded like he’d swallowed broken glass. Riku’s stomach turned at the sight of him, not in disgust but in sorrow. He couldn’t have been any older than sixteen.

 

“Sora, it’s me.” He said, inching closer to him like he was approaching a wild animal. “It’s Riku.”

 

The inhuman howl that broke out of Sora was unexpected and shook Riku to his core. It was a scream that sounded both guttural and high pitched like a whistle at the same time. He lunged towards Riku, tackling him to the ground despite being nearly a head and a half shorter than Riku. He hadn’t summoned his keyblade but his fingers felt like claws, clutching through his clothes and into his skin. Riku put his superior strength to use and managed to get a hold of Sora’s arms.

 

“Look at me, Sora, it’s Riku! It’s me!” He shouted, trying to get him out of the animalistic panic he was in.

 

The dark formed Sora gave one last heartrending scream before dropping down onto Riku’s chest, his sharp fingers still clutching him painfully. “No, no, no, Riku’s dead, you can’t be Riku, Riku’s dead…” He mumbled as if possessed. “He’s dead, he’s dead, it’s my fault, my _fault_ …”

 

Years ago, Sora told him about what had happened in the Keyblade Graveyard. Why he’d had to abuse the power of waking, otherwise everyone would have died. In doing so, he’d rewritten reality and had to watch twice as his friends were taken from him and Riku had walked to his death willingly in order to keep him safe.

 

Was it possible that even though Sora had rewritten reality, a piece of that horrible destiny had stayed behind in his heart, like scar tissue?

 

Sora jumped back suddenly, red tears — which almost looked like blood and made Riku’s stomach turn again — pouring down his face gruesomely. “I deserve it… I deserve to be alone. I let everyone die. Riku… _Riku_ …”

 

Riku had heard Sora cry many times throughout his life, but he’d never sounded like this Sora did, crying so hard he gagged on it, falling to his hands and knees as if he was about to vomit in the sand. He pulled himself up so he could stand and did something he hadn’t done in years.

 

He summoned Braveheart.

 

“See?” He offered, holding the Keyblade up. “It’s me. You didn’t let us die, you saved us.”

 

Sora looked up, still breathing hard, his glowing eyes violently red. “I… I saved you?”

 

Riku nodded and took a step closer. “You were so brave, you gave up everything so we could all come home. But I think a piece of you got stuck along the way.”

The heaving gasps slowed to heavy breathing and Sora curled his fingers into the sand. “I’m… not here to be punished?”

 

A rush of sorrow surged through Riku, he felt his eyes grow warm and his throat shut. “No,” He said hoarsely. “You’re not being punished.”

 

He dropped Braveheart in a shower of silver light and leaned down to wrap his best friend in his arms. His skin and his clothes felt both coarse and slimy with the dark shroud he was wrapped in and he smelled unpleasant, but in a heartbreaking way, of fear and pain and loss. “You’ve done enough waiting, all right? I’m going to take you home.”

 

He turned so Sora could climb on his back, and nearly wept when he felt skinny arms wrap hesitantly around his neck to hang on. It was uncomfortable and the exact opposite of his own Sora, happy face and warm, soft skin and all he hoped was that this Sora couldn’t see the tears streaming down his face as he carried him back the way he came.

 

—-

 

As they walked, Riku spoke with Sora, who would answer in monosyllables or a nod or shake of the head.

 

“When we get back, I think there might be someone waiting there for you.” He said, when Sora began to weep in the crook of his neck again, the shroud of sorrow still enveloping him. He’d realised when he saw Sora’s fingers, covered in red, the fingernails scratched down until they were nothing but bloody stubs that he’d been the one to vandalise the cave.

 

“What if you’re wrong?” Sora asked softly, breath hitching with tears.

 

“Are you kidding me?” Riku attempted some levity, fearful of the effect it might have. “I’m never wrong!” He could almost convince himself he felt a tiny hint of a mouth curling into a smile against his hair.

 

Once they reached the door, Riku let Sora slide down his back so he could stand on his own two feet. The door was still open and he could see the light from the cave, the sound of heavy rain hammering in the distance.

 

“This is all you, now.” Riku said, and held out his hand. “You have to walk back into the light yourself, and I know you’re strong enough to do it. You’re the strongest person I know.”

 

For a few agonising moments, Riku was afraid Sora wouldn’t take his hand. He nearly cried again when he felt a grimy, cold hand tentatively take his own. He gripped back firmly. “I won’t let go until you tell me to. I promise.”

 

Nothing could compare to the relief Riku felt when that seemed to be enough to spur Sora into action, leading himself and Riku back into the light.

 

Outside the sky was still pitch black, the trees shook ominously in the hard winds and the rain was so heavy it was difficult to see. Sora looked nervous suddenly, like he recognised where he was but he was afraid of it. Maybe he’d dreamt of home, down in the darkness all by himself, and now that he was back he was afraid it wasn’t real.

 

He looked behind him at Riku, holding his hand in a near painful grip. “Something’s wrong! I’m doing this!” He shouted over the noise of the rain.

 

“Nothing’s wrong!” Riku shouted back. “It’s just a rainstorm! We had those all the time, remember? I won’t let go, Sora! Not until you’re ready!” He put his other hand around Sora’s to emphasise his words. “Nothing here is going to hurt you, and you don’t ever have to be alone again!”

 

Even in the dark of the storm, Riku could see it. A tiny flash of blue in otherwise burning coal eyes. A color blue that was forever and always his favorite. The rain didn’t let up but the wind died down, until they were standing in the midst of big fat raindrops that felt straight down from the sky.

 

With every drop, Riku saw a little bit of the dark shroud Sora was wrapped in melt off him, as if the rain was cleansing him. Like a mudslide off the side of a mountain, more and more of him became visible, from black and red clothes to warm brown skin and hair. His eyes were screwed shut as he tilted his face up to the sky and Riku watched the last of the darkness wash away from his face in the rain, helpless to look away.

 

“Sora!” A voice cried out in the distance.

 

His little bit of heart he’d given to live in Sora’s heart when they married that couldn’t decide how he wanted to appear to Riku came running towards them, looking just as he had when he’d stood in front of Sora to protect him from a storm of Heartless. He stopped in front of Sora, heavy black boots slipping in the wet sand.

 

Sora’s eyes snapped open and while they didn’t burn as red as they had before, they weren’t blue yet.

 

Until Riku, his own heart not looking a day over seventeen, put his hands on the sides of the piece of Sora that had been left behind after the sacrifice he’d made’s face and pressed his forehead to his.

 

Like something out of a fairy tale, the rain stopped in an instant and the clouds disappeared as if they hadn’t been there at all. The sky was blue and the sun was bright and Riku felt Sora’s hand drop from his own.

 

“Riku…” He muttered, still sounding hoarse from years of endless agony. “You’re really here. He said you’d be here, and you’re really here.”

 

“Yeah,” His other said with a shaky voice, pulling Sora close to him in a much braver way then Riku had actually been at that age. “It’s me. I’ve been waiting for you, I’m so glad you’re here. Will you stay with me, Sora?”

 

Sora nodded and rushed into a hug that nearly knocked the other Riku off his feet. He put his arms around Sora’s waist and lifted him off the ground, swinging him around in a circle until the other laughed tearfully.

 

When they came to a halt, Sora turned to Riku and smiled. “I can… I can stay here, right?”

 

“Yes,” Riku replied instantly. “For as long as you want. He’s been waiting for you, you’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.” He gestured at the other Riku, who gave Sora a bright smile.

 

“Can we go sit at the tree?” Sora asked, sounding so quiet and tentative compared to his own Sora. “I’ve missed the sky.”

 

Riku felt a tug on his chest that almost felt like emotion, until he could feel the telltale sign of being pulled from a dive. The last thing he heard before he disappeared was,

 

“You never have to again,” and woke in the waking world.

 

—-

 

“Where I live, there are rainbows…”

 

Riku stirred, his head heavy with sleep.

 

“With life in the laughter of morning and starry nights…”

He knew that voice and he knew that song. It was a song his mother used to sing for him, an island lullaby, but the voice was his husband, deep, clear voice that was just offkey enough to be charming.

 

“Where I live, there are rainbows…”

 

Riku could have opened his eyes, but he knew the strong fingers running through his hair would stop if he did.

 

“And flowers full of colors and birds filled with song…”

 

He was in a bed, his shoes were off — that was probably Kairi, shoes on a bed was blasphemous as far she was concerned — and he could feel sunlight on his face, so that meant it was still daytime.

 

“I can smile when it’s raining, and touch the warmth of the sun…”

 

He wondered if Sora had felt anything that had happened. He hoped not, he never wanted to see that kind of pain ever again.

 

“I hear children laughing in this place that I love…”

 

The fingers in his hair moved slowly down his jaw and over his cheek. He recognised this now, this was how Sora liked to wake him up when he felt Riku was sleeping too long. Soft and slow with just enough pressure to pull him out of his dreams.

 

“Where I live, there are rainbows… I know you’re awake, Riku.”

 

Teal eyes opened slowly.

 

“Don’t worry, you’re not going to get a lecture from me. Apparently you were right,” Sora said and Riku’s lip trembled just a little bit to see him, a grown man with bright blue eyes that he loved so much. “whatever it was you found down there, it was the reason I was getting those migraines.”

 

“I don’t care if I was right,” Riku replied, reaching up one hand to cup the back of Sora’s head to pull him down so they were face to face. “All I care about, is that it worked.”

 

Sora kissed him, soft and lingering and Riku hummed happily, as if he hadn’t just kissed him a few hours ago. “It was Kairi’s necklace, that pulled you back out.” Sora explained. Riku had been wearing it during their honeymoon because he’d been wearing it during their wedding and he hadn’t thought to give it back before they left.

 

“She’s not a Master for nothing,” Riku replied, curling his fingers around the opal droplet still around his neck.

 

“Sorry,” Sora began to apologise. “For ruining the last day of our honeymoon. Lying on the floor screaming and throwing up on someone’s shoes isn’t very romantic.”

 

“Got the rest of our lives to be romantic, besides… whose shoes did you throw up on?” Riku asked with an almost hopeful tone.

 

Sora looked a little shamefaced. “Ansem the Wise’s.”

 

The laughter that burst out of Riku was so loud it seemed to startle Sora, though he began laughing with him out of reflex. “You’re terrible,” Sora said, still giggling.

 

“I’m sorry, but I think that may be one of the most romantic things you’ve ever done for me.”

 

“I did not throw up on Ansem’s shoes for you, Riku.” Sora made an attempt at sounding disciplinary. He failed.

They both burst into laughter again until Riku curled his arms around Sora and yanked his husband into the bed he was laying on. Since they’d missed a day of their honeymoon, it was only right they made up for lost time. And the idea of Ansem the Wise not only getting his shoes vomited on but also maybe walking in on them doing what newlyweds did most of the time they were in a bed together was like a cherry on a cake.

 

“You’ll tell me, right?” Sora asked breathlessly, already halfway out of his shirt as Riku rolled them over so he was on top. “What happened in there?”

 

“Soon,” Riku replied, revelling in the healthy flush of color on Sora’s cheeks. “I’ll tell you everything.”

**Author's Note:**

> And that is how Riku is a good husband and helped Sora get rid of his migraines. So I figured since Sora's heart is basically prima real estate, when they got married a little piece of Riku's heart went to live there and can portray himself as any form of Riku he likes. Now he had his own Sora to care for. Also, Riku REALLY does not like Ansem the Wise. He's never getting over that. 
> 
> Next fix in this instalment will be baby time, as I think Aqua is long overdue!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, hope you enjoyed and if you'd like to poke me, or prod me or just see what silly stuff I say you can find me on Twitter at @laughertea.


End file.
